The present invention relates to a disposable wearing article adapted for absorption and containment of urine as well as feces.
In Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 1996-322878 (hereinafter referred to as “JP '878”), there has already been proposed a disposable diaper comprising a liquid-pervious topsheet, a liquid-impervious backsheet and a liquid-absorbent core sandwiched between these sheets so as to define, in a longitudinal direction, a front waist region, a rear waist region and a crotch region extending between these waist regions. The diaper includes a pair of liquid-barrier sheets spaced from each other by a predetermined dimension in a transverse direction and extending in the longitudinal direction and a pair of liquid partition sheets spaced from each other by a predetermined dimension in the longitudinal direction and extending in the transverse direction.
The barrier sheets respectively comprise proximal zones bonded to the opposite lateral margins of the diaper and extending in the longitudinal direction, distal zones extending in the longitudinal direction in parallel to the proximal edges and normally biased to rise up above the topsheet, and front and rear ends bonded to the front and rear waist regions with inner surfaces of these ends opposed to these regions. Distal edges of the respective distal zones are provided with stretchable and contractible elastic members extending in the longitudinal direction. The distal zones of the respective barrier sheets form barriers functioning to prevent urine and/or feces from moving sideways and thereby to prevent urine and/or feces from leaking beyond the opposite side edges of the diaper. The partition sheets are located substantially in the longitudinal middle of the crotch region, each comprising a lower segment bonded to the topsheet and an upper segment having transversely opposite ends bonded to the distal zones of the barrier sheets. Upper edges of the respective upper segments are provided with stretchable and contractible elastic members extending in the transverse direction in a stretchable and contractible manner. The upper segments of the respective partition sheets rise up above the topsheet as the distal zones of the respective barrier sheets rise up to form barriers functioning to intercept movement of urine from the front waist region toward the rear waist region and simultaneously to intercept movement of feces from the rear waist region toward the front waist region.
In the JP '878, while it may be possible for the distal zones of the respective barrier sheets to prevent feces from moving sideways, these distal zones are not adapted to cover feces received by the diaper from above. This means that feces discharged in the diaper may be exposed between these barrier sheets and readily come in contact with the wearer's crotch region and buttock. Consequentially, feces may cling to the wearer's crotch region and buttock and the wearer's skin may be soiled with such feces over a wide area.